Slip-on shoe cover



' Sept. 1, 1959 A. DE LUCIA SLIP-ONSHOE COVER Filed March 11, 1958 INVENTOR. ANASTASIA DE LUCIA A TTOP/VE'V United States Patent O SLIP-N SHOE COVER Anastasia De Lucia, New Milford, NJ.

Application March 11, 1958, Serial No. 720,788

1 Claim. (CI. 3672) This invention relates to dress shoe covers and particularly concerns a cover which is so constructed as to be snugly fitted and secured to a ladys dress shoe. The cover permits the completion of the ensemble of a costume by matching the color of the shoe with that of the material of a dress, coat or other garment.

The invention makes it possible for a lady to change the external appearance of color and pattern of a shoe by inter-changing readily removable and attachable shoe covers of dilferent colors, patterns and fabrics. Thus, a shoe which has been broken in and is comfortable to wear, can be given an extended wearing life even though its upper is somewhat worn by attaching thereto a suitable cover.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a ladys dress shoe cover which can be fitted to the shoe and so firmly secured in position that to all outward appearances it becomes part of the shoe.

A further object is to provide a shoe cover whereby at small expense a lady can change at will the color, pattern, texture, and fabric of the exterior of a dress shoe.

A still further object is to provide such a cover for a dress shoe that the shoe is prevented from soiling and the cover is readily removable to be washed or drycleaned.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a shoe having mounted thereon a cover embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the cover without the shoe.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of the line 44 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the cover.

Referring to Figs. 1-5, there is shown a shoe cover 20 embodying the invention. The cover is shown mounted snugly on a shoe 21 and covers all of the exterior of the shoe except the sole 24 and heel lift 26. The cover is shown made of cloth but it may be made of any fabric or other suitable material such as thin leather, plastic, composition fibrous material, natural or artificial rubber, or the like.

The cover is open at the top edge 28 where it is juxtaposed to the top edge of the upper of the shoe. The cover is also open at the bottom between the heel cover portion 30 and the toe end 32. The toe end is formed with a pocket 34 which is engaged over the toe end of the sole 24 of the shoe. A band 36 is secured between opposite sides of the open bottom edge 35 of the cover. The heel portion 30 fully covers the heel of the shoe and has ani aperture 38 at the lower end through which extends the end of the heel or heel lift 26. Band 36 underlies the shank 37 of the shoe and snugly embraces it. Stitching 40 is provided at the top edge 28 to secure the rolled or folded seam 42a thereat. Further stitching 44 is provided at the bottom edge to secure the rolled or folded seam 45.

If the cover is formed of molded plastic material, the stitching shown may be omitted since the cover may be cast in one piece or the several parts thereof may be secured together by electronic heat sealing. The cover is preferably formed of a rather elastic material so that it will fit the contour of the shoe snugly and flex in walk ing so that no unsightly gaps or bulges appear between the cover and the shoe. To all outward appearances the cover is an integral part of the shoe. It can be fabricated in any suitable texture with such patterns and colors as desired.

The cover should be sufliciently elastic so that it can be fitted to a variety of sizes. If desired, an extra width or extension of material can be allowed at the sides 33 around rim 28 to be tucked into the shoe and held in place by the foot of the wearer. This permits the cover to serve a larger range of sizes. Also, the tucked-in material will overlay the top edge of the upper of the shoe and wholly conceal it to present a neater appearance.

The heel portion of the shoe cover is adjustable for different sizes of heels by tucking or folding it inwardly through the opening 38. The band 36 may be made of a material slightly more elastic than the remainder of the cover to effect a very snug fit of the cover while being wholly concealed beneath the shoe. The pocket 34 is a particularly important feature of the invention since it coacts with the band 36 and the engagement of the cover at the rear of the shoe upper to insure a snug and secure fit thereon.

The seam 42a is sufiiciently large to retain therein a drawstring 47. The ends of the drawstring extend from the rear end of the opening 28. If desired, the ends of the drawstring could instead be taken through the front end of the seam at the instep of the cover as indicated by dotted lines 47a in Fig. 2.

The toe end 32 of the cover 20 is provided with a toe plate 56 made of plastic or leather secured by stitching 58 to the underside of pocket 34. This plate protects the pocket from soil and wear while in use on a shoe.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent A dress shoe cover having an elastic fabric body to embrace the upper of said shoe, said body having an open upper and open bottom, a tubular seam formed around the opening in the upper of the body to grip the open upper of the shoe, said body being formed with an elastic portion joining opposite sides of the body at the open bottom to embrace the underside of the shank of the shoe, a pocket formed at the toe end of the body for engaging over the toe end of the shoe and under the toe end of the sole thereof, the sole of the shoe being exposed between said pocket and said elastic portion at the open bottom of said body, a drawstring loosely passing through said seam and wholly concealed thereby at the open upper of the body, said string having ends extending from a rear point of the seam and adapted to be tied manually to form an inconspicuous knot at the rear of the cover with the open upper of the body held in snug engagement with the open upper of the shoe, and a sole plate secured to the pocket under the toe end of the sole of the shoe to protect the pocket from soil and wear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Arnsberg Mar. 15, 192.7 Wreford Oct. 4, 1927 Nowak Nov. 13, 1928 Sies'e July 1, 1930 Savale Sept. 10, 1935 Kendall Nov. 17, 1936 Gamble Apr. 27, 1937 Hinchlifie Sept. 5, 1939 Sidnam Aug. 17, 1948 

